Restaurant: harbourkitchen&bar
Brescian-born chef Alessandro Pavoni has taken over the reins as head chef at the Park Hyatt’s flagship restaurant, harbourkitchen&bar. He brings with him a passion for food that developed at the age of 10 when he sampled a three kilogram stuffed hen his grandmother cooked. In a heroic feat, he managed to eat it all by himself. His mouth still waters when he thinks of it and the experience helped inspire him to undertake training at the Art, Science and Technological Centre of Food in Brescia and the Caterina de Medici Hospitality School.
He went on to work under the famous Italian pastry chef Igino Massari, where he spent hours training on sweets, and at Villa Fiordaliso (a Michelin star restaurant) in Garda Lake, Italy. These days Pavoni calls Sydney home and creates masterful dishes with his team of 26. His favourite restaurant is owned by a friend in a little village in the Brescian countryside, but closer to his new home he admires Tetsuya for impressive fine dining and Golden Century, which he visits twice a month. Days off are spent immersed in cooking when he likes to cook large, whole fish or suckling pig, enjoying the challenge of cooking on a gas barbecue as opposed to the traditional coals used in Italy.
Shelley Hepworth, February 2007
